As the City of Raleigh addresses the need for dog parks downtown, a 'Pop-Pup Dog Park' opens for the weekend

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- Dog owners can take their pups to a temporary dog park in downtown Raleigh this weekend.

The setup is underway for the "Pop-Pup Dog Park" on Dawson Street.

Crews are putting up temporary fencing so dogs have an enclosed space to run and play.

The dog park will be open the Friday evening on June 8 until Sunday evening on June 10.

The city is testing the success of pop-up dog parks and addressing the need for dog parks downtown.

"As everyone knows Raleigh is growing fast," said TJ McCourt, planning supervisor for Raleigh's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. "We've got a lot of new, multi-family housing coming up-apartments, condos, many more people living downtown. Many of these people have pets. They have dogs that have a need for exercise, a need for a space place to play. So we know the demand for a downtown dog park is high. At the same time, real estate is really at a premium and it's tough to find a permanent space that we can really dedicate to a dog park full-time."

There will be another pop-up dog park at Dorothea Dix Park this summer. McCourt said a similar one at Dorothea Dix drew about 2,000 people last year.

"We know per capita how Raleigh stacks up against other cities in the nation and we are a little bit above average in dog ownership," said McCourt.

The pop-up dog park comes as the city undergoes a dog park study to address the need for dog parks throughout Raleigh and find out what dog owners want to see out of the Raleigh dog park program.

Click here for information on the Raleigh Dog Park study

Currently, there are four dog parks in Raleigh: Millbrook Exchange Dog Park, Carolina Pines Dog Park, Buffaloe Road Dog Park and Oakwood Dog Park.

Info on upcoming pop-up dog parks:

Pop-Pup Dog Park

123 S. Dawson Street

Downtown Raleigh

June 8-10

Open Friday evening until Sunday evening

Pop-Pupalooza!

Dorothea Dix Park

801 Biggs Dr., Raleigh

June 23

12-6 p.m.

Pop-Pup Park

Nash Square

Downtown Raleigh

September 7-9